Will Nigeria one day be renamed ‘BATeria’?

BY OLU ALLEN

In a nation where millions grapple with hunger, insecurity, and joblessness, Nigeria’s political elite appear fixated on an entirely different legacy: naming everything in sight after the sitting president.

In just over a year, we’ve witnessed an astonishing spree of dedications to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu:

• Bola Ahmed Tinubu Barracks, Asokoro, Abuja (January 2025)
• Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC), Abuja (December 2024)
• Bola Ahmed Tinubu Polytechnic, Gwarinpa, Abuja
• Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport, Minna – renamed from Abubakar Imam Airport (March 2024)
• Bola Tinubu Complex, National Assembly Library, Abuja (May 2024)
• Bola Ahmed Tinubu Way, Southern Parkway, Abuja (May 2024)
• Bola Ahmed Tinubu Road, Dangote Refinery axis (June 2025)
• Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja (June 2025)

And still counting.

Even the country’s most feared military rulers, including General Ibrahim Babangida, who commissioned the original Abuja Conference Centre, did not baptise such institutions with their names. That restraint, however minimal, signalled an understanding that leadership is not about immortalising oneself but serving a people.

Naming Isn’t Neutral

Every name carries weight. To rename public infrastructure after a sitting president—often while he is still in office—is not just sycophantic; it erodes the democratic fabric of a nation. It signals the alarming creep of a personality cult within a democratic republic.

It also ignores the true heroes of Nigeria—those who built reputations on service, sacrifice, and substance. Where are the national institutions named after Gani Fawehinmi, Chinua Achebe, Dora Akunyili (whose courageous stand at NAFDAC saved countless lives), or Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti?

Legacy is Not a Nameplate

Legacy is earned, not engraved. President Tinubu has a rare opportunity to leave a mark that goes beyond signage. If his administration focuses on building lasting reforms in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and youth employment, the people will remember him with gratitude. Without the need for an airport, library, or road to remind them.

What we see today instead is political branding on overdrive. In some corners of the country, jokes have already begun: “Will Nigeria soon be renamed Bateria—Bola Ahmed Tinubu Republic of Africa?” It may sound like satire, but behind the laughter is genuine disillusionment.

A Word to Those Enabling This Trend

To state governors, ministers, and public officials enabling this naming spree: history is watching. Your complicity risks defining your legacies by misplaced priorities and public cynicism. Let the president’s achievements speak louder than these ceremonial dedications. Let history—and the generations who inherit this nation—decide his legacy based on tangible impact, not imposed nomenclature.

Leadership is not measured by how many buildings bear your name, but by how many lives you transformed. Nigeria does not need a renamed republic. It needs renewed hope.

Olu Allen is a writer and educator based in Kano. He writes on politics, society, and public affairs.